


DSMP Age Regression Oneshots

by goblinhimbo



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Non-Sexual Age Play, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Relationships, agere, emphasis on the comfort, just to be clear this is not age play, the tagging system for regression is just bad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:55:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29138910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goblinhimbo/pseuds/goblinhimbo
Summary: A collection of age regression oneshots for the Dream SMP characters! 100% sfw, requests are open!
Comments: 38
Kudos: 271





	1. before we begin

Just so we are all on the same page, age regression is a coping mechanism, often times for mental illness or trauma. Any interactions between the characters in this is entirely platonic and safe for work, and any romantic or sexual requests will be ignored and deleted. 

The characters I can best write are Ranboo, Tommy, Tubbo, Phil, and Techno, so requests with them will take priority. 

There are a couple characters I do not feel like I can write, such as George or Purpled, sorry!

For requests, please include the little(s), caregiver(s), and any plots or headcanons! I would prefer them to be a bit more specific, but even if it isn't feel free to request it!


	2. Regressor!Ranboo and CG!Techno

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ranboo is very tiny and just wants to play, but Techno manages to strike a bargain with the little into eating.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was requested by 'im failing school :')', I'm sorry if this wasn't exactly what you wanted! I wound up taking some liberties, since the characters just kind of got away from me for a bit!
> 
> also I know that this is probably pretty ooc, but i haven't quiet managed to figure out how to write techno yet.

“Boo, come on, please eat?”

The little enderman hybrid looked up at Techno with wide eyes, giving a small chirp in response. Techno tried his hardest to not smile at his cuteness, keeping his expression stern. 

“The faster you eat up, the faster you can play.”

Scrunching up his nose adorably, Ranboo chirped again before nodding in response to his caregiver’s pleas. Techno let out a relieved breath.

He had been trying to convince the regressed hybrid to eat something for nearly a half hour now, knowing that he had been little since he had woken up and really needed to eat  _ something _ . Unfortunately, the regressor was younger than normal today, which made the entire process far more difficult than it would normally be. It isn’t exactly easy to bargain with a toddler.

“Alright, good. We don’t have too much right now, but Phil made some mashed potatoes last night and we have leftover chicken. Is that alright, little bat?”

Ranboo giggled at the nickname Techno had given him, and he couldn’t help but smile. Remaining monotone and expressionless as the piglin hybrid usually preferred is hard when such a cute kid giggles at something he says. 

Once he had finished his mini giggle fit, Ranboo nodded happily. Techno stood and kissed the little on the forehead before walking to the kitchen and preparing his food. He could hear the toddler giggling loudly again from the other room, and Techno felt warmth in his chest. 

He loved being able to take care of the kiddo, it was one of his favorite things in the world. Techno needed to be able to take care of someone just as much as Ranboo needed to be taken care of. Nearly everyone else in the server views him as more pig or weapon than person, but Ranboo was one of the few to not only see him as a person, but  _ trust _ him. Trusted enough to be vulnerable around him, to regress and know that he will be taken care of. 

It was something fragile and wonderful, and Techno would do anything to keep him safe. 

After the food had finished being heated up, he carefully set it down on the dining table, placing it right in between Ranboo’s and Techno’s usual seats. He walked back into the living room where the little was still sitting on the living room floor, happily playing with a couple of his stuffed animals and talking under his breath incoherently. 

Techno allowed himself a moment to lean against the doorframe and watch the regressor play, a small grin on his face. “Boo, food is done.”

His head whipped up so quickly Techno was almost worried about his neck, chirping excitedly. Techno waited for a moment for him to get up before he sighed and asked, “Do you want me to carry you?” In response he got a nod and grabbie hands, and well, there was no way he could say no to that. 

“Alright then.” He quickly walked over to where Ranboo was sitting, bending over and grabbing under his knees. “Put your arms around my neck, please.” Once he felt that he had grabbed on tightly enough, Techno hoisted him up. He took a moment to make sure that he wouldn’t lose his grip, before he immediately began walking to the dining table again. The Enderman hybrid wasn’t too heavy, but he was tall, and all that extra length added enough weight to make him slightly difficult to carry. 

He quickly set down Ranboo as possible, wanting to be extra sure there was no chance that he would accidentally slip and drop him. Even just the thought of that happening caused a slight pit in his stomach.

After he had set down Ranboo, he quickly gave his nose a little kiss. It was a much more silly thing than he would usually feel comfortable doing, but it was worth it to see the delighted smile that spread across the toddler’s face and hear the excited giggles, interrupted with the occasional chirp.

As Ranboo giggled, Techno quickly sat down in the chair next to him. He waited until the laughter died off to ask, “Alight kiddo, you want me to feed you?”

“Yes please!” 

Techno gasped in mock surprise, saying, “You can speak!”

The little nodded excitedly, his hair whipping around. “Uh huh!”

Techno laughed quietly. He knew his face had to be ridiculously soft, and he couldn’t quite manage to find the usual discomfort that he associated with emoting. All he could feel was a fondness for the adorable toddler in front of him, and a genuine feeling of joy. 

“Okay, it’s food time now. As soon as you finish we can play.”

“Promise?” Ranboo asked, pouting ever so slightly at the idea of having to eat. 

“I promise.” Techno agreed, nodding solemnly, his voice indicating that he was speaking of something that of the utmost importance

Ranboo chirped again, clapping happily. Chat, who up to this point had been mostly quiet, suddenly burst into noise. 

> **AWWWW**
> 
> **Kidboo!**
> 
> **Awwwwww**
> 
> **Everyone shhhh, he has to focus!**
> 
> **enderbaby!**
> 
> **technoprotect!**
> 
> **Awwwwwwww!!**

Well, at least he and chat were in agreement for once. This kid truly was aww worthy. 

“Alright, Mr. Boo, you ready for food now?”

After he received a nod, Techno scooped some food onto a brightly colored fork and began the process of feeding the toddler, trying his best to make sure to not make a mess. Usually Ranboo regressed to a bit of an older age, so he rarely had to be fed. And even when he did, it was usually Phil who took over that part, seeing as he had more experience taking care of little kids. Not to say that Techno minded, not at all. He just really hoped they wouldn’t make too much of a mess.

The entire process took a little over ten minutes, seeing as the little kept getting distracted. Techno’s arm was beginning to ache, and when all the food had disappeared from the plate he couldn’t deny himself a little sigh of relief. 

“Good job, little bat,” Techno praised. 

He received another little giggle in response. “Play time?”

“That was the deal. Want me to carry you again?”

Unsurprisingly he received a nod, and Techno slowly went through the small process of making sure the little was holding on tightly enough before carrying him back over to the living room, gently setting him down on the floor once again. Techno thought for a moment before sitting down next to him, deciding that he could play for at least a little while. 

As soon as Techno settled down beside him, Ranboo crawled over closer to him before carefully grabbing one of his stuffed animals and setting it in Techno’s lap. Before he could ask what the little was doing, Ranboo nodded and crawled away again.

He watched as the regressed hybrid began crawling in another direction, picked up a toy train that had been at some point put aside during his play time earlier, and crawled back over to where Techno was still sitting. Techno raised an eyebrow as Ranboo put the toy in his lap next to the stuffed animal he had put there earlier. 

Ranboo began to repeat the process, crawling over to another toy he had set aside at some point during the morning, picking it up, and slowly crawling back over to Techno sat to place it in his lap. 

“What’re you doing, Boo?” Techno finally asked after several minutes, laughter in his voice that he was barely managing to push down. In response he received a chirp and yet another toy before he crawled back off to get another toy. He allowed this to go on for a couple more times, until he asked again, “What are you doing, silly. You're gonna hurt your knees like this.”

“I show!” 

“You’re showing me them?”

Finally the boy settled down next to Techno, sitting criss cross applesauce. “Uh huh!”

“Why’re you showing me your toys?”

“Cause they wanted to meet you!”

> **AWWWWW**
> 
> **so precious!**
> 
> **technosap!**
> 
> **Look at his little smile**
> 
> **awwwwwwwwwwwww**
> 
> **i wanna give him a hug!**
> 
> **cutieboo**

Well, that was unbearably adorable. Techno could physically feel his heart melting at the wide grin the little gave his way, his eyes wide and innocent. “Well you have to introduce them to me then, right?”

His eyes went wide, as if the idea was world changing, before nodding enthusiastically and scooping them all up and plopping them on the floor in front of him. He quickly began babbling away about each of them, seemingly trying to come up with a life story for each one. Techno just watched attentively, only half aware of the soft smile on his lips. 


	3. Regressor!Ghostbur and CG!Phil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ghostbur is just happy to be talking with everyone! Sure, he doesn't know why everyone treats him like a big kid when he so clearly isn't but it's okay!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was requested by Just_A_Lizard, I hope you enjoy!

Wandering around L’Manburg was Wilbur’s favorite pastime. Of course he loved collecting his books as well, but something about simply wandering around and bumping into people and chatting was the ghost’s favorite thing! Though, a lot of the interactions he had didn’t make a lot of sense to him. 

The thing is, Ghostbur was little a lot of the time. Regressing made him happy, so why wouldn’t he choose to do the thing that made him happy as often as possible? A ton of his favorite memories from when he was alive was when he was little as well! The only issue was that no one ever seemed to notice his mental state. It took him a while to realize it, but even when he was regressed younger than normal everyone still treated him as a big kid!

It didn’t bother him too much, though! As long as people talked to him, he was happy! Even if sometimes their inappropriate comments and cursing made him a bit uncomfortable, and even if sometimes it made him want to cry a small bit, it was alright! He was just happy to be able to spend time with everyone, no matter what!

He just wished that he knew why. 

Humming as he walked Ghostbur happily walked around L’Manburg, waving cheerfully at everyone he saw. He was on the lookout for anyone who would need some blue, his mostly regressed mind wanting attention from anyone willing to give it, and giving blue was the easiest way to get it! Plus, he could be helpful!

Eventually, a short figure caught Ghostbur’s eyes. He grinned widely, floating higher up in the air and then back down as he excitedly flapped his arms around. “Tubbo!” 

The president turned around quickly, a bright smile on his face as Ghostbur moved as quickly as he could to him. 

“Ghostbur, hi!” 

“Hi Tubbo! Would you like some blue?” Ghostbur quickly took some of the affirmationed item out of his inventory, feeling some of his stress instantly melt away slightly as he held it.

“No thank you, I’m fine Ghostbur.”

The little felt his shoulders droop slightly, and his smile faltered momentarily. This was the third time someone had rejected his offer today, and he didn’t know why! He just wanted to help everyone, why did no one want his blue today? Tears filled his eyes, and he felt himself drop even more and he lifted a sweater covered hand and wiped at the tears angrily. 

“No, no, don’t cry! Uh, I’ll have some blue!” Tubbo sounded panicky, waving his arms around at the sight of the suddenly crying ghost in front of him. Ghostbur looked up, seeing Tubbo’s eyes had gone wide in panic. 

“...Really?” 

His voice came out softer than normal, more clearly regressed than usual. Not that he minded, of course, he didn’t particularly care about how young he sounded. After all, he was essentially a toddler at this point, so sounding like one was fine with him. 

However, something about what he said or how he said it made Tubbo pause. It made Ghostbur nervous, and unconsciously the hand that wasn’t holding the blue drifted up toward his mouth. He managed to stop himself from sticking his fingers completely in it, but he couldn’t stop himself from biting at his thumb nail. “Tub?” he asked, his voice coming out little once again, this time even more so due to being muffled. 

“Hey there bud,” Tubbo’s voice took on a gentle tone, one Ghostbur had only heard him use for small animals before, “how old are you right now?”

Ghostbur smiled around his thumb, his mood instantly lifting at the question. Finally, someone treating him like the little kid he was!

“‘M three!”

Realization filled Tubbo’s eyes as he nodded, saying, “Alright, thank you for telling me kiddo. Does anyone else know you regress?”   


Cocking his head to the side, Ghostbur replied, “Of course they do! Why wouldn’t they know?”

“Oh.  _ Oh. _ ” Tubbo sounded shocked, and Ghostbur made a small confused noise in the back of his throat. “Ghostbur, did you regress while you were alive?”

Letting out a tiny huff, Ghostbur shoved the blue back into his inventory to cross his arms over his chest and pout lightly. “Yes!”

“Alivebur didn’t tell us, sweetie.”

But… that didn’t make any sense? “But why not?”

Tubbo smiled at him kindly and placed a gentle hand on his arm. Ghostbur made sure to make himself corporeal before he made contact. “Alivebur didn’t tell us lots of things, kiddo. He was probably embarrassed to tell us.”

“But it makes me happy! And it made him happy, I remember it!”

“I know, bud. It’s okay, though, you can tell everyone now if you want to, right?”

Ghostbur gasped and floated higher, clapping happily. “You’re right!”

Watching him with fond eyes, Tubbo smiled at him. “Do you want me to come with you to tell people, buddy?”

“Uh huh!” Ghostbur nodded excitedly, moving a couple feet before stopping quickly. Who would he even tell? He couldn’t go and tell Tommy and Techno with Tubbo, he got too sad when Ghostbur talked about them. Fundy was mad at him, and being a dad was hard when you’re so tiny!

“Kiddo?”

“I dunno who to tell…” Ghostbur felt his shoulders rise up to his ears in anxiety and embarrassment. He didn’t even have anyone to tell about one of his most favorite things! 

There was a hand on his shoulder, gentle. Ghostbur felt himself untense slightly. He still had Tubbo at least! Tubbo was with him!

“What about Phil? I bet he would want to know!”

Flapping his hands excitedly, Ghostbur floated up higher in excitement. Dadza! Dadza would wanna know! And then maybe he would get a hug! He nodded, smiling widely at the idea. “Tubbo! You’re so smart!”

Tubbo began to rub the back of his head, saying with a smile, “Ah, thank you-”. He was cut off as Ghostbur grabbed his arm, excitedly dragging him over to Dadza’s house. Ghostbur’s lack of legs and ability to move through space by simply willing it gave him an advantage, and Tubbo was left to stumble behind him for several seconds before Ghostbur remembered and slowed down.

Even with the slower pace, they reached the man’s house fairly quickly. Ghostbur began to slow as they approached, coming to a near complete stop in front of Dadza’s house. What if Alivebur was right to not tell anyone? He didn’t want to be a burden on anyone, especially not his dad. He already caused so many problems when he was alive, so now that he was dead he should make sure to not bother anyone, right?

The whirling thoughts combined with the haze of regression made tears well up in his eyes again. He whined loudly in the back of his throat, scrubbing at his eyes with a sleeve covered hand. He didn’t wanna be a bother to anyone! He just wanted people to stop treating him like a big kid when he wasn’t!

“Buddy, what's wrong?” Ghostbur was vaguely aware of Tubbo moving in front of him, gently grabbing his arm. Being talked to so softly for the first time in a while caused him to regress even further, and he whined again loudly. 

“I don’t wanna bother anyone! What if Dadza finds me annoyin’ or doesn’t wanna see me anymore cause I’m little? I don’t wanna lose my dad!”

Sympathy filled Tubbo’s eye, and he quickly moved forward and enveloped the little in a hug. “Shh, shh, it’s okay bud. You wouldn’t be bothering him, he loves you! He’ll love you no matter what, I promise.”

“Pinky promise?”

Laughing gently, Tubbo pulled away from the hug and offered up his pinky. “I pinky promise.”

Ghostbur eagerly linked their pinkies together, swinging them side to side for a moment, causing Tubbo to laugh again. The sound made a small smile creep back onto Ghostbur’s face, his fear receding slightly. He was still scared, but Tubbo pinky promised! You can’t break a pinky promise, it’s against the rules!

“You ready, kiddo?” Tubbo gently prompted. 

After a moment’s hesitation, Ghostbur nodded assuredly. He just had to do it! Everything would be okay, because Tubbo promised it would be and Ghostbur trusted Tubbo.

“Okay.” Tubbo took hold of one of Ghostbur’s hands, interlocking their fingers. Once they were fully situated, their hands gripping each other tightly, Tubbo walked forward with all the confidence one would expect from the president and knocked soundly on the door. 

As they waited for a response, Ghostbur’s hand drifted up toward his mouth again. He wished he had something to put in it, like a paci or a teether! People always gave him weird looks when he put his fingers or thumb in his mouth, but maybe Tubbo wouldn’t mind?

He put his thumb in his mouth, sucking on it and relaxing instantly, smiling around it. Unfortunately, that also happened to be the moment that Dadza opened his door.

“Hello, what can I do for…” he trailed off, looking between the ghost sucking on his thumb waving excitedly at him and the sheepish looking president. 

Tubbo glanced at Ghostbur, eye widening when he saw him sucking on his thumb. “No no, bad, come on, that’s icky.”

It took a moment for him to realize that talking with the thumb in his mouth wasn’t going to work, and he reluctantly took it out to argue, “But ‘m a ghost! I can’t get sick!”

There were a few moments of silence as Tubbo furrowed his brows, clearly trying to think of an argument for that and not finding one. “Okay, yeah, that makes sense. But still, your thumb is probably dirty, bud, you shouldn’t suck on it without at the very least washing your hands first, okay?”

“Okay!” Ghostbur happily lowered his hand back to his side, satisfied with winning the little argument even if he still couldn’t suck on his thumb yet. “Hi hi Dadza!” Ghostbur waved at his dad again, enthusiastically.

Instead of responding, he looked to Tubbo and raised an eyebrow. Ghostbur puffed at being ignored, but tried to wait patiently. 

“It’s been an… informative morning,” Tubbo said with a sigh. 

“Well then. I suppose you two should come in and explain it to me then, though I think I have an idea.” Dadza moved to the side, gesturing inside. Tubbo walked in, their still interlocked hands causing Ghostbur to follow close behind them. 

Tubbo led them both to the couch resting against the far wall, sitting down and patting the cushion next to him with a smile. Ghostbur sat where he indicated happy, with a wide grin on his face. It was only a little bit forced. 

The anxiety was slowly causing Ghostbur to come out of his regression, and a large part of him just wanted to go back home and curl with the couple stuffed animals Alivebur got and Ghostbur kept, and sink as far as he wanted without having to worry about how to say big boy words. He didn’t like being nervous and big, it makes him feel all icky.

Ghostbur watched as Dadza followed after them and sat in the chair across from the coach. “Alright then, what’s going on?”

Squeezing their connected hands, Tubbo asked Ghostbur, “Do you want me to explain what I can, kiddo?”   


He thought for a moment. On one hand, this was Dadza, and Tubbo promised it would be fine! He could explain! On the other hand… 

“Yes please,” he mumbled. 

Tubbo reached around with his other hand, and patted Ghostbur on the head softly. He couldn’t contain his giggles in response, and Tubbo smiled softly back at him. 

After Ghostbur finished his mini giggle fit, Tubbo started speaking. “Honestly, I don’t know much beyond the basics. A bit ago today Ghostbur came up to me and asked if I wanted some blue, and when I said no thank you he got upset. He was acting childish and when I asked about what age he was he said he was a kid.”

Dadza nodded along as the president spoke, piping up when Tubbo finished speaking. “So he’s a regressor?”

Shrinking back slightly, Ghostbur fiddling with his fingers. He tried to keep the anxiety off his face, but he knew he was likely failing.

“You know what that is?” Tubbo sounded surprised at Phil’s question.

“I used to have a friend who would regress occasionally, I would help to take care of him. Great practice for actually having kids.” Suddenly, Dadza turned his gaze onto him. Ghostbur tense up at the sudden attention. “How old’re you right now, bud?”

Hesitantly, he stuck up three fingers in response. Dadza’s gaze was soft, and seeing it directed at him made him slip some more, finding himself right back age-wise where he started. 

“Awwww, you’re just a little guy.” Ghostbur giggled again, feeling his fear melt away. Dadza was being nice! He wasn’t mad! “Why didn’t you tell me, lad?”

“Ah, that’s the thing. He thought that Wilbur told us.”

Understanding dawned on Dadza’s face. “Ohh, I see. Well then, now that I know, have a question for you, little guy.”

Ghostbur hummed questioningly in response, cocking his head to the side. 

“Would you like it if I looked after you while you’re little?”

Excitement forced Ghostbur to gasp as he started flapping happily at the question. Someone wanted to take care of him!  _ Dadza _ wanted to take care of him! He wouldn’t be small and alone anymore, someone would be there for him!

At Ghostbur’s clearly excited reaction, Dadza chucked under his breath and asked, “Is that a yes?”

Ghostbur didn’t hesitate before nodding enthusiastically. “Uh huh! Dadza take care of me!” His voice was higher and more slurred than normal, showing his rapidly descending mental state. But now he didn’t have to worry about being too little and not being able to take care of himself, cause Dadza would be there! He could be as little as he wanted!

“Well, it looks like you have this covered Phil. Feel free to let me know if you ever need to babysit, alright?” Phil nodded agreeably, a smile still on his face. Tubbo stood, gently untangling their hands and kneeling in front of him. “You be good for your dad, alright buddy? If you ever need me, you can come and find me, promise.”

“Okay! I loves you, Tubs!”

Smiling at him, Tubbo ruffled his hair and got up, nodding at Dadza and walking out the door. Once the door had closed behind him, Dadza got up and walked a few feet to stand in front of him. “Alright lad, it’s been an eventful day, huh? I bet my little guy needs a nap.”

Furrowing his brows, Ghostbur thought as deeply as his little brain could manage. On one hand, he  _ was  _ very sleepy, but on the other, he was so happy! He wanted to spend time with Dadza! Sleepy time means less Dadza time!

“But I wanna spend time wit’ you!” he protested.

His dad’s gaze softened further in response and he said, “I promise we can spend time together, after you take a nap. That sound good, kid?”

Crossing his arms, Ghostbur reluctantly nodded. Dadza smiled encouragingly at him, and opened up his arms. When all Ghostbur did was tilt his head to the side, Dadza said, “Come on bud, you wanna be carried?”

Oh! Yay!

Without hesitation, Ghostbur threw himself at Dadza, wrapping his arms around his neck. His dad grunted at the sudden contract, but grabbed him all the same. As he situated them so he was secure enough to walk, Ghostbut buried his face in the crook of his neck happily. 

Once they were ready, Dadza swiftly walked into a room only a short walk away, luckily on the same floor. Ghostbur kept his face hidden, content with the fact that he would be able to look around the house later. Soon enough, he was bent down and gently set on the bed. He reluctantly uncrossed his arms from around Dadza’s neck.

He was quickly tucked into the bed, with all of the efficiency of someone who had tucked in kids a hundred times before. As soon as Dadza was done, Ghost looked up at him with blurry eyes and asked in a small voice, “Stay?”

“Of course, kiddo.” He sat on the bed beside Ghostbur, and he smiled. 

As Ghostbur drifted off to sleep, it was to the sound of humming and the sensation of a calloused, familiar hand combing through his hair. 


	4. Regressor!Phil and CGs!Tommy, Ghostbur, and Techno

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Ghostbur's failed resurrection Phil through himself into research, desperately looking for a way to bring his son back to life. After it all got to much he crashed, and needed badly to regress, and luckily for him Tommy Ghostbur and Techno are there to look after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Requested by FluffNAngstWriter, thank you for the request! I hope you enjoy!
> 
> This one is a bit angsty than the others, but have no fear! Any sadness that there may be in these, there will always be just as much comfort!
> 
> Also side note, I now am absolutely in love with the idea of Tommy calling people who're regressed 'little man' instead of big man, so expect more of that.

Phil was tired. All he wanted to do was rest, but he couldn’t, he knew he couldn’t. He had to keep searching for more books on resurrection, even if he felt like he was about to drop to the ground in exhaustion. 

He hadn’t done enough research before. He should’ve done more, he knew he should have, but he had been so eager to bring his son back that he failed to take enough time to do so. And as a result, he was forced to stab his son  _ again, twice. _

Failure wasn’t an option again. He had already failed to bring Wilbur back twice, he failed to raise Tommy and Wilbur, he failed to keep his children safe from harm's way in the first place. He couldn’t fail again, he had to bring Wilbur back. He couldn’t fix anything else, but that he could fix, he had to.   


Sure, he couldn’t remember the last time he ate or slept or regressed. Sure, his brain felt so permanently hazy from the pull of regression he could barely think in the first place. But that didn’t matter in the face of the possibility of bringing back his son.

Finally after hours of searching, he found another book on the topic of resurrection. He didn’t have the energy to feel excited or even satisfied, just a small sense of relief at the fact he could go home finally. He started the journey home only half aware of his surroundings, moving mechanically without any conscious thought.

Suddenly, after an unknown amount of time passed of him walking without thought, he stumbled over something on the ground. He fell onto his knees harshly, the sudden fall making his knees ache and bringing him back to his surroundings. He was in the snow and he recognized the trees and mountains. He was close to home. 

The snow was soaking into his pants and he shivered. He knew he should get up, he should keep walking so he could get home and start researching. But he couldn’t. All he could do for a couple seconds was clutch onto the book desperately, making sure to not get any snow on it. His health was infinitely less important than the book, he had to keep the book safe. 

Tears were pickling at his eyes and he realized he was so much closer to regressing than he thought. Everything felt so  _ big _ and he felt so  _ small.  _ He didn’t wanna work anymore, he didn’t want to be responsible anymore, he just wanted to curl up in bed and sleep. 

A sob built in his chest, and he barely just managed to force it back. He had to get home. Techno would be worried, and Ghostbur and Tommy said they might visit today. He had to get home. Phil just had to get home, and then everything would be fine. 

Maybe after they leave and Techno goes to bed, Phil will even be able to regress for a bit.

He forced himself to his feet slowly, keeping his arms wrapped securely around the book. His limbs felt half frozen but he still managed to walk, ever so slowly, toward the direction he knew home was. Notch, he just wanted to go home. 

As he walked he allowed his mind to drift away, retreating into itself. His mind was blank for the first time in days, and a part of him knew that if he allowed his mind too much freedom he would edge even closer to regression. The rest didn’t particularly care, the relief too great to worry about the consequences of seeking that relief. 

Eventually after what felt like hours but logically was only a couple of minutes, Phil saw his home. He wanted to cry at the sight of it, but forced it back. 

Phil knew he was thinking illogically, but the knowledge of it didn’t make it stop. All that his awareness did was cause him even greater frustration with himself, making him wish that he could just think clearly. His emotions and mind felt so completely out of his control and he longed to just be able to break down in the comfort of his own room. But even when he reaches home, he would have to be fine for at least a few hours more. He would not worry his sons, he refused. 

With the last reserves of energy that Phil had, he pushed on forward home. It took him far longer than it would normally, lethargy pulling at his limbs and causing him to slow. After a few minutes, however, he was finally at the door.

Straightening his back, Phil tried to compose himself. The haze that had settled over his mind made it difficult, taking away his ability to coherently think about what he had to do to appear normal. He had the mental awareness to straighten his hat and clothes, but there was nothing he could do about the way his pants were completely soaked through.

The clinging fabric felt horrible to Phil, the lack of sleep causing him to be over sensitive to every sensation. The part of his mind that begged for him to regress wanted to throw a fit over it, sob and scream and kick over how everything was so much. 

For a brief moment Phil considered actually allowing himself to be little. His sons knew about it, having been through nearly as much trauma as he had been in their short lives. A couple years ago he had gathered his courage to tell them about his regression, and they had been nothing but accepting, even Tommy, despite his jokes and teasing. Each of them had even watched over Phil before, though never all three at once. 

Notch, how the idea was tempting. To be looked after by his family, the three people in the world who he trusted the most, sounded so alluring. 

But even still, something held Phil back. He needed to be strong for his sons, who had been through so much. Yes, the small family had recently agreed to try and be there for each other more often and right their individual wrongs, but that didn’t erase the years of pain they had been put through. They deserve someone who would be strong for them, who they knew would always protect them. 

How would they know that Phil would always keep them safe if he couldn’t even stay big? He had already failed the tree of them so often, he couldn’t let himself falter ever again. 

So he had to stay big, at least until he was alone. 

Phil took a deep breath, trying to compose himself a final time. He would stay big, act like everything was totally fine, and then later that night when he was alone he would allow himself to regress and break down. For the time being, he just had to continue on like he had been for the past several days. It would be fine. 

After reassuring himself the best he could, he swung open the door, and stepped in, a smile plastered on his face. “”Ello lads,” he called, stepping into warmth and safety. 

“Dadza!” Tommy’s familiar loud voice called out in response. Phil looked around the small room he had stepped into, warmth curling in his chest as he saw his family together. Techno sat on an overstuffed armchair, his usual get up replaced for a comfier outfit as he read. Tommy and Ghostbur sat together on the couch, curled beneath a blanket. Judging by the still faintly outraged expression on Ghostbur’s face and the amused one on Techno’s, the two had been arguing as they often did. 

“Hey Phil,” Techno responded to the greeting, his usually monotone voice betraying the amusement he was feeling. As he looked over the man however, Techo’s amusement seemed to melt away slightly. “You’re soaking. Did you fall in the snow?”

It took Phil’s hazy mind a couple moments longer than it should have to register the words, and his delayed reaction seemed to worry the piglin hybrid further. 

“Ah, I’m alright mate,” he said, forcing a chuckle. “Just took a bit of a fall.”

His voice came out weaker than he had hoped, and he barely held back a wince. 

“No, you’re not. What’s wrong, Phil?” Ghostbur asked. 

As Phil’s eyes swung around to the ghost, he felt the guilt and self hatred that had motivated him for the last several days fill him once again.

If it weren’t for Phil’s failure at doing the proper research, his son would be alive again. He would be able to remember his life, even with all of the sad memories, he would be able to touch and interact with the world regularly without having to put all of his energy into it. 

As his mind once again spiralled, Phil felt his eyes fill with tears again. He frantically wiped them away, a whine building in the back of his throat. He couldn’t do this, he couldn’t break down right now, he had to be strong, he had to-

A hand on his shoulder interrupted his frantic thoughts, causing him to look up. Techno was standing in front of him, looking at him with concern. “Phil, whatever is going on you can tell us. We care about you.” Techno’s voice sounded strained. Anything emotional had always made him uncomfortable, and the act of showing emotional support even more so. 

The tears in his eyes spilled over, and a sob forced his way up his throat. He shook his head, hoping that his sons would leave it be, would let him pretend to be okay, but he knew there was no way that would be happening. Despite all the cruelties in the world that his boys had seen, they were still so fundamentally good. They wouldn’t allow someone to hurt in front of them without trying to help, especially not family. 

As if they could hear his thoughts, Tommy and Ghostbur came to stand next to Techno. Both their faces had concern written all over them, and Phil felt guilt curl in his stomach at the thought that he had put it there. 

“I’m sorry,” Phil forced out in a whisper. Concern turned into confusion on the three’s faces for a moment, until he managed to continue, “I’m so sorry, Ghostbur, for not being about to bring you back, I’m trying to fix it, I promise.”

In short, jerky movements, Phil managed to bring the book out from where he had momentarily put it inside his cloak, presenting it to them. “I’ve been researching, I found another book, I’ll fix it, I promise. I’ve been trying so hard to find it, and I did, see? I’ll fix it.”

Interrupting Phil’s frantic pleading, gentle hands curled around his book. Phil looked back up, seeing that Ghostbur had replaced Techno in standing in front of him. When Phil made eye contact with him, Ghostbur smiled gently, though it didn't manage to get rid of the sadness in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” Phil whispered again. 

“It’s okay, I knew there was a chance it might not work, right? I’m not mad, it’s okay,” Ghostbur attempted to reassure him. 

“When was the last time you slept, Phil?” Techno’s voice interrupted suddenly, more concern in it then Phil knew he liked to show. 

Phil shrunk down under the weight of the question, his battered wings flexing anxiously underneath his cloak. “I dunno. A couple days.”

“When was the last time you slept?”

“The same.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Phil saw Tommy, stick his arm up in the air like he was in school. He smiled slightly at his youngest’s antics, even in the serious situation. “Yeah, Tommy?”

“When was the last time you regressed?” he asked, shifting from foot to foot nervously under the weight of the three older men’s gazes. “I know you said you need to do it, to like, cope and stuff.”

“Ah.” Phil couldn’t quite manage to hide his grimace at the question. “Yes, well, I’ve been pretty busy lately, and-”

“Phil,” Techno’s stern voice interrupted. 

Wincing, Phil forced himself to admit, “... A couple weeks”

Without even having to look up Phil knew how his sons’ faces creased in worry at his quiet admission. “Phil, you said yourself you need to regress at least every other week,” Techno said.

“I know, I know. I just… it’s not exactly very important, is it?”

“Yes it is!” Tommy protested. “You’re always taking care of us, you need to take care of yourself too.”

Phil didn’t respond, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on the book he and Ghostbur were still holding. He knew that what Tommy said made sense, he did, but it was so hard to actually act on when there was so much to do. 

“Okay, Phil? You can either regress right now with us taking care of you, or you can head upstairs and regress by yourself if you really want to. We would love to take care of you, but if you need to be alone we won’t be upset with you.”

Techno’s soothing yet firm voice made the haze of regression that was lingering over his mind grow stronger, and as his words sunk in it became even harder to resist the urge to be small right that moment. 

“I- I don’t know, I don’t want to be a burden on you guys-”

“You’re not,” Ghostbur gently interrupted him. “You’re not a burden on us. You take care of us the best you can, you spend all the time trying to right your mistakes. You deserve to be taken care of as well.”

Without any conscious decision, he felt himself slip properly into littlespace. “Mkay,” he mumbled, the world slurred. 

The expression on the three’s faces softened even further at the quiet word, all of them instantly recognizing it as him giving into his regression. “Alright buddy, you wanna get changed into something dry while we cook you something to eat?” Ghostbur asked. 

Phil nodded quickly, his expression turning pouting as he remembered how his pants stuck grossly to his leg. It felt icky, and he wanted them off. 

“Alright. Tommy, you help cook. Ghostbur, you go wait outside Phil’s door in case he needs help.”

“‘M not that little!” Phil protested, the tips of his ears burning.

“I know you aren’t, bud. But Techie is a worrywart, so how about we go with his plan so he feels better. Is that okay?”   


Scrunching up his nose, Phil thought deeply before agreeing with a nod of his head. He didn’t want Techie to worry!

Ghostbur smiled at him proudly when he agreed, and Phil wiggled happily. Ghostbur laughed lightly before sticking out his hand and saying, “Alright then! Let’s go get you into some dry clothes, huh?”

Putting his hand in Ghostbur’s, Phil nodded again. Together they quickly went upstairs, and Phil managed to change with some difficulty. His shirt nearly got stuck, but once he had managed to completely change himself he jumped happily a bit, and ran out to Ghostbur, exclaiming, “‘M done now! I did it, all by myself!”

“Good job, buddy! You ready to go downstairs and make sure the other two haven’t made too big of a mess?”

“Mhmm!” he hummed an affirmative, smiling. 

Hand in hand, the two walked back downstairs and into the kitchen. Tommy and Techie were arguing, much more quietly than normal, but stopped as soon as they noticed he and Ghostbur’s arrival. 

“Hey there, little man! We’re making some spaghetti for you, that sound good?” asked Tommy.

Gasping, Phil nodded and started bouncing on the soles of his feet. ‘Ghetti was his favorite!

“Cool. It’ll be ready in a couple minutes, how about you sit at the table and wait for us to finish up?”

Phil hummed an affirmative, not feeling much like talking, before quickly scrambling into his normal chair. He hummed happily while waiting for his food, smiling at Ghostbur when he sat in the chair next to him, waving. Ghostbur chuckled and waved back, causing Phil to giggle quietly before going back to humming. 

A few more minutes passed, the room silent apart from Phil’s humming and the clanging of cooking and the occasional bickering between Techie and Tommy. Eventually, though, a plate of ‘ghetti was placed in front of him. He bounced in his seat happily, before turning to Techie, who had sat next to him after giving him his food, and giving puppy eyes. 

“Hmm? What do ya need, little guy?”

Phil looked at the plate of food quickly and then back to Techie, turning his puppy eyes up to the max.

“Oh, do you want me to feed you?” Techie asked.

“Uh huh!”

Techie sighed quietly before moving the food over to him, getting some ‘ghetti on the fork and silently holding it out for Phil to take a bite. Phil hummed again, happily, before taking the food and chewing contentedly, swaying in his seat gently. 

Several minutes passed in this way, with Techie feeding him and Ghostbur and Tommy quietly chatting from where they sat at the table. After a bit, when all the food had vanished from the plate, Techie got up and got started on the dishes.

Phil looked between Ghostbur and Tommy, before tugging on Tommy’s sleeve. “Yeah, little man?”

“Movie, pwease?” Phil quietly mumbled. 

“Of course! Good choice of activity!” Tommy turned to Techie, and Ghostbur quickly covered Phil’s ears. He tilted his head to the side, giving Ghostbur a wide eyed curious look, before he realized why. “TECHNO! WE’RE GONNA GO WATCH A MOVIE!” Tommy yelled.

Techie turned to him, giving a glare. “We are in the same room. You do not have to shout, you gremlin.”

“I didn’t have to, but I did! At least I didn’t curse!”

“If you had, I would have killed you. No cursing in front of kids.” Techno sighed, turning back to the dishes, before continuing, “Go get started on the movie, I’ll join you once I’m done.”

“Pog.” Tommy looked back at Phil, asking, “You wanna pick the movie, little man?”   
  
Phil thought for a moment before shaking his head decisively. “No? You want someone else to pick?” A nod.

Tommy shrugged, saying, “Okay, that works for me. UP it is.”

Ghostbur opened his mouth as if to object, before closing it and shaking his head. “Alright, let's get comfy on the couch and wait for Techie then, mkay buddy?” Ghostbur again offered his hand to hold and Phil swiftly took it, getting up and walking with the two to the couch. 

Plopping himself on the soft surface, Phil cuddled up to Ghostbur as soon as he sat down. He smiled as he felt the ghost’s arms wrap around him, letting out a short hum. A blanket was placed over him, adding to the comfort and safety that the little felt. 

Above him, Tommy and Ghostbur spoke quietly. A movie started playing, Phil not bothering to find the energy to listen to what was being said. Another voice joined the mix, Techies, quiet monotone, and Phil smiled gently at the knowledge his entire family was here. 

It only took a few minutes for Phil to drift off into sleep, secure in the knowledge that he was safe and protected, his family there to protect him. 


End file.
